NEET
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- NEET
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- Physics
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- Nuclear Physics
NEET · Physics · Nuclear Physics
Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A)...
Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): The nuclear density of a heavy nucleus like is approximately the same as that of a light nucleus like .
Reason (R): The nuclear force is short-ranged and exhibits the property of saturation, meaning a nucleon interacts only with its nearest neighbours.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Assertion (A): The nuclear density of a heavy nucleus like is approximately the same as that of a light nucleus like .
Reason (R): The nuclear force is short-ranged and exhibits the property of saturation, meaning a nucleon interacts only with its nearest neighbours.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Options
- ABoth (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
- BBoth (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- C(A) is true but (R) is false
- D(A) is false but (R) is true
Correct answer
A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Step-by-step solution
The nuclear density is independent of the mass number , meaning all nuclei, whether light like or heavy like , have approximately the same nuclear density. Thus, the Assertion is true.
The constancy of nuclear density is a direct consequence of the saturation of nuclear forces. Because the nuclear force is short-ranged, a nucleon only interacts with its nearest neighbours rather than all nucleons in the nucleus. This saturation prevents the nucleus from collapsing into a denser state as more nucleons are added, leading to a constant density and a volume proportional to the mass number. Thus, the Reason is true and correctly explains the Assertion.
Answer: Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
The constancy of nuclear density is a direct consequence of the saturation of nuclear forces. Because the nuclear force is short-ranged, a nucleon only interacts with its nearest neighbours rather than all nucleons in the nucleus. This saturation prevents the nucleus from collapsing into a denser state as more nucleons are added, leading to a constant density and a volume proportional to the mass number. Thus, the Reason is true and correctly explains the Assertion.
Answer: Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)